UNSW v Bankstown 1976-77 Semi-final at the Village Green
UNSW Cricket Club | January 24, 2023
by John Rogers
It was the season before World Series Cricket and there were plenty of legends playing Sydney grade. Andy Roberts, Geoff Boycott, Allan Border, Doug Walters and Rick McCosker played much of the season. Another seven had or would play for Australia, while another 23 had played or would play Shield cricket for NSW.
It is the week Lenny Pascoe gets his call-up for Australia – he has been chosen for the 1977 Ashes tour of England. His great mate, Jeff Thomson, got that call-up five years back, and Lenny has given everything in that period to join him. Bankstown have not won a premiership in his time, and Lenny, great clubman that he is, wants one badly. Bankstown are a tough bunch, captained by Dion Bourne – uncle of Steve and Mark Waugh. Also in their side are Ken and Graham Thorpe – future father and uncle of swimming legend Ian Thorpe – and Steve Small, who is in the early stages of a fine career.
UNSW’s promotion to grade cricket from Shires four years earlier had been universally ridiculed, so no one can quite believe they have finished second on the ladder and are hosting a semi-final. Nine of UNSW’s 11 are long-haired students, cricketing nobodies, mostly country boys and college boys, plus a couple of discards, including the captain John Rogers, a former St George and state player who had fended off retirement to take over the students.
Bankstown had been 14th out of 16 at Xmas, and had then flown up the table. UNSW had been out of the top 4 for most of the season then had won a series of heart-stoppers, the last against Wests propelling them into second place.
Day 1
Finals are like a mini-Shield match – 14 hours’ play are allocated for a single-innings result. That’s the equivalent of playing to lunch on day 3 of a Shield match. A different game altogether. And it is still the era of 8-ball overs and no helmets.
The Sydney newspapers used to cover grade cricket in those days, and this week they’ve been full of Bankstown’s fearsome spearhead, Lenny Pascoe. Not only does he bowl fast but also he laps up white line fever. Back then, no one dominated the atmosphere of a first-grade match like Lenny.
Bankstown are on a high over Lenny’s selection for the Ashes tour. They win the toss and send UNSW in. The students’ strength has been batting first and then defending modest totals with a few early wickets from the quicks before the spinners finish the job on a pitch that always offers turn. And their fielding is second to none. By bowling first, Bankstown are saying that Lenny will rip through the students and they’ll knock off the runs by lunch on day 2.
The day is dry, sunny and still. Lenny will bowl the first over. As he walks to his mark, there in front of him, high across Warrane College, is a large politically incorrect banner referring to Lenny’s European origins. A ratbag student has hung it out his bedroom window. The UNSW players want it taken down.
Lenny charges in. UNSW players and supporters have their hearts in their mouths. Mick Watt gets a single off the first ball, and he and Mark Ray get through the over with no damage. There’s no swing or seam for Lenny, not much pace either. But there is some bounce. He has pitched up early to check the pitch. “Hard as a whore’s heart” is how curator Jack has described it. From now on Lenny’s aim will be “knock ‘em out”. Plenty of short stuff coming up. Reflexes and ribcages will be tested.
As the hour mark approaches, Lenny breaks through. Mick Watt has taken 30 balls from Lenny and not scored a run off him since that first ball. He’s taken plenty on the body. Jim Robson goes soon after and skipper Rogers joins Mark Ray who, in his quiet no-fuss way, has held the fort. Together they keep Lenny at bay. The attached picture shows the challenge. The delivery from Lenny is on its way up, towards Rogers’ upper body. First slip is Dion Bourne, second slip Steve Small, the non-striker is Mark Ray and the umpire Reg Ledwidge.
Len Pascoe bowling to John Rogers
Rogers and Ray make it to lunch but in Lenny’s fifth over after the break Rogers goes. Lenny’s sixth over becomes an 11-ball marathon. New batsman Chris Chapman cover drives him for 4 and an enraged Lenny delivers a warning about the future of Chapman’s dental health. Lenny bowls three no-balls before he completes the over. Captain Dion Bourne insists he take a breather. Lenny has bowled 18 8-ball overs – the equivalent of 24 6-ball overs – and has 3-55. He has bowled from one end for 2 ½ out of three hours’ play. The constant barracking from that student in Warrane College has given Lenny extra energy.
Having batted through all of Lenny’s fire, Ray gets himself out in the next over caught behind off patient left-arm spinner Tony Radanovic. He has scored 66, and held the innings together. He has faced 77 balls from Lenny and calmly nullified the best the big quick can hurl at him. Now, though, 2-105 has become 4-117. Youngster Greg Livingstone and Chapman do well against the other bowlers until Lenny resumes with the second new ball after tea. He breaks through in his fourth over of the spell to make it 6-195. Despite some tough resistance from the tail, Lenny prises them out, with the final score at 214. He has bowled 25.2 overs, seven maidens and taken 7-76. That’s the equivalent of 33.4 6-ball overs. He has sprinted 20 metres and hurled the ball at the batsmen more than 200 times. Absolutely amazing stamina.
UNSW are delighted with 214. From No 1 to No 11, they’ve shown great courage. And they know that anything over 200 on that pitch and that large, slow outfield can be a winning score.
They are less delighted when half an hour later, the dangerous Steve Small has taken 16 runs off Geoff “Henry” Lawson’s first two overs. When the umpires close play for bad light, Bankstown have knocked off 22 runs without loss. Bankstown can win, but they’ll need Small to go on with it, and Trevor McDonald and Bob Vidler to support him.
Day 2
Just four overs into the second day – 10 bowled all up – Greg “Gulgong” Watson’s five overs have cost 4 runs, but Lawson’s five overs have cost 38. Steve Small is on 39 and Trevor McDonald on 3. None for 46 looks great for Bankstown, threatening for UNSW.
As many a Shield bowler was to find in later seasons, when Smally’s big bazooka was going, look out! In the previous over, he had twice smacked Henry straight for 4s mixed with a thick edge flying over slips. In mid-over Henry has bowled his third no-ball of the innings. He is not a particularly happy chappy.
So, a double change. Left-arm spinner Ray comes on for Watson who’s bowled just two overs, and off-spinner Paddy Grattan-Smith comes on at Lawson’s end.
The game changes. Overs 11 through to 22 go for just 20 runs, including 2 byes, a 4 to McDonald to fine leg, a Small 3 and a couple of 2s to McDonald. And these are 8-ball overs.
On the fifth ball of over 22, Mark bowls McDonald. Perhaps McDonald is another batsman “gently violated by Mark’s arm ball” – as described later by Grattan-Smith. A fissure in the Bankstown wall had been found. Next over, a huge crack appeared as Small was gleefully taken at slip by “Jungle” Jim Robson off Paddy. Small’s first 39 runs had come off just 42 balls, his last 7 runs had taken 58 balls.
New batsmen Bob Vidler and Graham Thorpe found the going just as tough. When leggie Steve Campbell came on for over 34 for the two finger spinners to swap ends, just 18 runs had been scored in nine overs. In the 37th over Thorpe whipped the first ball of a Grattan-Smith over in the air, slightly wide of Mick Watt fielding at a run-saving, shortish mid-wicket. It’s the sort of surprise, sharp catch that in those days was often floored, but not this time – a very good, sharp chance taken. Swimmer Ian Thorpe’s uncle gone, and an over later, his dad Ken, LBW to a Campbell flipper, a minute after midday in the 38th over. The score is now 4-93. A debut first grade wicket to remember for Campbell.
Steve and Mark Waugh’s uncle, Dion Bourne, Bankstown’s long-term captain, helps Vidler take Bankstown towards the lunchbreak. Watson is asked to bowl the last over before lunch and on the fifth ball has Vidler out LBW. Now, 43 overs have gone with the score 5-107. UNSW are somewhat happier at lunch than two hours earlier when Small was in full stride.
Big, beefy NSW rugby second-rower, Bob Lamaro joins Bourne after lunch. The run-rate is just as slow and they hang in there. Watson bowls another two overs but then Paddy and Mark take over and it is not until 53 minutes and 15 overs have been bowled since lunch that a wicket falls, when Campbell comes on to pin Bourne with another flipper.
Three overs later and the wall now has a chasm in it, as the last recognised batsman, Lamaro, is snaffled at short-leg by Rogers off Grattan-Smith, to make it 7-129. The huge Lamaro has faced 78 balls in scoring just 9, including one lusty blow off Grattan-Smith over mid-off. The visitor’s dressing room mirror is on the receiving end of a legendary Lamaro head-butt.
Keeper Andrews and Pitty hang in for another 12 overs, building the score by 23 to 152. The spinners are being swapped around and in a new spell at the southern end, Campbell gets Andrews to belt one over mid-off. Lawson at deep mid-on charges to his left and takes a quality running catch. Two balls later Pitty is taken by Ray at a deepish gully off a Campbell leg-break, bringing in Lenny Pascoe to join Tony Radanovic. Ray tempts Lenny and he belts one high towards the practice wickets on the western side. From deep backward square, Livingstone dashes to his left for 30 metres, and proceeds to take it nonchalantly over his head.
UNSW have won – on the first innings, that is. The time is 2.56. Tea is taken. There are two hours and 44 minutes of play left. Will Bankstown pull the pin? UNSW’s worst fears are realised when Dion Bourne in his quiet way tells Rogers: “Lenny would like to have another bowl to get himself ready for England.” If Bankstown can knock UNSW over for, say, 60 and have an hour left, they could win outright.
Mick Watt takes strike to Lenny. The second ball is short, Watt ducks, but it hits him on the top of his head and flies 20 metres over the keeper. There’s blood everywhere and Mick is helped off.
Robson faces up, assumes a bouncer is coming and goes under it, down and down. The ball clears his head and the top of the stumps by a millimetre. Somehow he survives. At the other end, the normally quiet Mark Ray decides to return fire with fire. He takes seven off Pitty’s next over, then smacks Lenny for a couple of 4s – past point and to fine leg. More runs come off Pitty’s next over and then Ray takes a full over from Lenny, driving his second ball down the ground for 4 and imperiously square cutting him to the fence off the next. He’s raced to 37.
It starts to drizzle. Part-time leggie Graham Thorpe replaces Pitty and first ball Mark whacks it to McDonald at mid-wicket and is out. The umpires look at Bourne. He looks at the scoreboard which reads 1-53, and so a lead of 111. The time is 4.03. There are about 100 minutes of play left. Bourne nods and concedes defeat. Lenny is not happy. His figures show 5 overs, 0-35. He exchanges “compliments” with Mark on the way off.
The students have won. It has been a huge struggle. In particular, it has been a serious examination of character and courage. In the end they have won handsomely. UNSW’s bowling and fielding simply suffocated the Bankstown batsmen. Campbell on debut has figures of 4-30. From the time the spinners came on, Bankstown scored just 110 runs in 64.4, 8-ball overs – 516 balls. And Ray and Robson have stood up to Lenny in that manic second dig.
Bankstown are gracious in defeat, none more so than Lenny Pascoe. UNSW players and supporters respond with three cheers for Lenny on his Australian call-up. The cracked mirror in the visitors’ dressing room remains untouched for years – a long-term reminder of the game.
The realisation begins to dawn on UNSW. Unbelievably, they are about to play off for a premiership flag.
Scorecard
